Mints and Nuts
by Inarya
Summary: A joint fic by Sycorax and Lorelai Rhymeless. The FF8 gang get together for a little party. Drinking ensues. A Seifer/Squall and Quistis/Fujin. Yaoi and Yuri action!


/--/ are thoughts -- are song lyrics. Thanx NIN. /

This was co-written between Sycorax and Lorelai Rhymeless. Hope you enjoy. Btw, the next edition, Wine Chocolate is being written now.

Today was a day of boredom in the Garden. The students were away on summer vacation and all of the staff had nothing to do but service the Garden in the children's absence. This meant that any teachers who had nothing to do with maintaining the Garden had nothing to do for a month. This was only the third day of vacation and already everyone was bored out of their minds. Quistis, Seifer, Selphie and Irvine lounged lazily around the quad when Zell came to find them.

"Hey guys." He said loudly "What's shakin'?"

"What's shakin'?" Seifer asked giving Zell a look "Since when was that saying popular?"

"Since I said it."

"Since you said it my ass." Seifer replied lazily.

"Aw shaddap!" Zell flopped onto the grass next to Irvine. "So what's on the agenda for today guys?"

"What are you talking about?" Irvine said pushing Zell away from him.

"Well we've got an entire month to ourselves! We gotta do somethin' with it!"

"Such as?" Quistis prompted.

"I dunno, I just don't wanna be bored for a month."

"I say we have a party!" Selphie announced predictably.

"Selphie you suggest we have a party every time we've got five spare minutes." Seifer said.

"Well see if you get invited to the party." Selphie replied sticking out her tongue.

"Put that away, we don't know where it's been."

"Seifer!" Quistis slapped him on the arm lightly. Seifer chuckled and apologized to Selphie who glared at him but softened it with a patient smile.

"So are we havin' the party or what guys?" Zell asked loudly.

"I say why not." Irvine shrugged "It's not a bad idea. Besides, I gotta cut loose; now that we're the only ones here we can do what we want."

Quistis looked at Seifer. "Party?"

"Party." He replied, then he turned to Selphie "Party?"

"Party." She nodded and turned to Zell. "Party?"

"PAR-TAY!! AWWW YEAH!" Zell hopped up and flexed his muscles.

"Simmer down boy!" Irvine said as he got up and dusted himself off. "We gotta go get the 'party favors'."

"Favors? We ain't kids anymore Kinneas." Zell said as Irvine dragged him off.

"I don't mean those kind of favors, ya dork..." Irvine trailed off as they rounded a corner

"Ummm," Selphie bit her lip and got to her feet "I better go with them, you know, just to make sure they get the right stuff." With that Selphie bounded after the two boys. "Hey guys wait up! We gotta make sure we get..."

Seifer and Quistis gave each other a knowing look and shook their heads.

"Well, I guess we'd better be off too." Seifer got to his feet and offered Quistis a hand up.

"Yep." Quistis took the offered hand and hopped to her feet. "Shall we invite any of the other staff?"

"If you want, I think those three," Seifer gestured in the direction Selphie, Zell, and Irvine left. "are planning something a little extravagant."

"Yeah," Quistis chuckled "but can you blame them? The end of the year is always roughest. Irvine's right, we all need to cut loose. Even with Selphie constantly on about spending time together we just haven't been able to."

Seifer shrugged "Yeah, well, that's what happens when you get responsibility like we have. You get lost in the work, but Irv's right you do have to chill out every now and then. Which is why I'm pullin' out all the stops for this party." Seifer winked. "You're inviting Squall right?"

"Um, yeah, I guess I could. Why?"

"No reason, just wondering."

"Oh, come on! I think we've come far enough in our friendship to where you can tell me stuff like this." Quistis smiled suggestively "Any particular reason why you want me to invite him?"

"No."

"A one word answer, that's not like you."

"Come on, Quisty! Lemme alone! I just figured that it'd be cool to have the whole group there!"

"You can't fool me mister! You've got a thing for him don't you?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Liar!"

"Am not!"

"Okay okay," Quistis chuckled. "I'll leave you alone, and I'll ask him to come."

"Okay...thanks Quisty." Seifer scratched the back of his head and grinned.

"No prob' I'll see you later." Quistis gave a slight wave and walked off. Seifer waved back and waited silently as Quistis left. After being sure she was gone Seifer flopped back onto the springy grass and gazed up at the clouds.

"You can come out now Fujin." He said.

Fujin stepped from behind a copse of trees, her face unreadable.

"What were you doing back there?" Seifer asked, never looking from the sky.

Fujin said nothing.

"I guess you heard about the party eh?"

"YES."

"You should come." He stated sitting upright and looking Fujin in the eye.

"WHY?"

"You know why. Judging from the kind of party it's turning out to be, it'd be a good place to tell her. Easier I mean."

"DON'T NEED ALCOHOL TO TELL." Fujin replied indignantly.

"Then why haven't you said anything yet?"

"NOT RIGHT TIME."

"Ha, you said that a month ago. At the rate you're going you two will be old ladies by the time you start dating."

"ONE TO TALK. SQUALL."

"Yeah yeah, you should still come Fujin. I think it'll be more interesting with you there. You know no one is mad at us anymore. Why isolate yourself?"

"NO LECTURE WILL COME." Fujin crossed her arms.

"Good, you need to get out."

"BUT ONLY IF TELL SQUALL."

"Whaa?"

Fujin eyed him, offering a rare smile. "DEAF?"

"I heard ya, Fuu..." He muttered. The two remained silent until Fujin worked up the gall to poke Seifer in the stomach...hard.

"Hey...what?"

"WELL?"

"Fine!" He conceded. "Fine...I'll tell the little ice prince. But Fuu, think about it. It's -Squall-. He hates me. He'll just laugh in my face and hold it against me for as long as I stay in Garden."

"THEN LEAVE." Fujin stated.

"Ha ha. You know I can't leave." Seifer stood up, stretching his long limbs. A cool breeze swept through, playing with the tail of his trench coat. "Well, I guess we outta get ready, huh?"

Fujin nodded and they made their way out of the quad, a slight spring in their steps.

* * *

The door beeped, sliding opening with a slight -whoosh- as Quistis stepped through. She lowered her gaze upon the desk in the middle of the room, unusually high stacks of papers covering it. She took a step toward the desk, peeking behind one of the more prominent stacks. There sat the Commander, second to the headmaster in Garden, hero of the Sorceress Wars, one of the most powerful warriors left in the world...doodling on one of the Training Center reports.

"I see we're being productive." Quistis said coyly, eying the drawing.

Squall looked up, a resigned look in his gray eyes. "What is it?"

"I've come to ask you to come to a party tonight"

"I have work."

"So do we all. But that's not stopping us."

"I'm responsible."

"Sure you are..." Quistis said sarcastically, picking up the drawing and examining it. Squall stood up and tried to pull the paper away, but Quistis jumped back and shifted around, keeping it out of his grasp.

"Give that back!"

"Why...? It's just a doodle...oh..."

Squall snapped the paper from her grasp and immediately crumpled it, throwing it away in the waste paper basket.

"What did you do that for? It was a very good drawing." Quistis said, pouting a bit.

"It's not my best work." Squall replied coldly.

"But the heart was in it..." Quistis thought about the contents of the drawing and smiled. "You should tell him."

Squall glared. Quistis felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, but made no move to take back her statement. In fact, she only reinforced it. "You should."

"I can't."

"Sure...but you should."

"Quisty..."

"Don't give me that. You need to tell Seifer."

"It's useless."

"...he's coming to the party."

"He is?"

Quistis nodded. "And that's why you should come."

Squall sighed. "Where?"

"Um...actually, can we have it your room?"

"What!?"

"Please, Squall? You have the biggest room out of all of us!"

Squall looked into Quistis' expression and already knew this was an argument he wasn't going to win. "Whatever."

Quistis smiled, her blue eyes lighting up. "Thank you, Squall. Oh, and what alcohol do you prefer?"

Squall leaned back in his chair, stretching. "Let's see...we're having a party with alcohol, Seifer included, and you want me to tell him."

Quistis grinned. "That about sums it up."

"Then bring me your hardest."

* * *

Squall stretched out on his bed, reveling in his last minutes of peace and quiet in his room.

"I can't tell him..." he mused aloud. "It's Seifer..."

Suddenly, the door swept open. Squall propped himself on his shoulders to watch the entourage make their way in. First came in Zell, carrying two 12 packs of beer, closely followed by Irvine, who held more...potent tonics. Selphie bounced in last, a bucket of nuts in one arm and a bag of mints in the other.

"My Squall, you're lookin' hot!" Selphie squealed, sizing the Commander up as he lounged on his bed. He was in his normal black leather pants, with a black tank and his Griever pendant. He looked himself over and shrugged.

"You just don't know..." Irvine grinned, putting the drinks on the counter of Squall's kitchenette.

Squall shook his head then eyed Selphie's condiments. "Mints and nuts?"

"What?" Selphie asked innocently.

"...why?"

"Why not?" she glared at him defiantly.

"Well..." Squall took in Selphie's eyes and opted to not tangle with the small woman. "Nevermind...just set 'em where ever."

"That's what I thought you'd say." Selphie beamed and joined Zell and Irvine at the counter.

Squall sighed and ran a hand through his hair. /What did I get myself into...?/ he thought. "So what did you have planned to do tonight?" he said aloud to no one in particular.

"Nothin' really...we just got tired of sittin' around." Irvine replied in his usual Southern drawl. He gave a wink and handed Zell a beer. "Drink up man!"

"Hey thanks!" Zell popped the top off and chugged about half the bottle before coming up for air, only to belch in Squall's face. "Oops! Sorry Boss-man!" He gave a hearty laugh and clapped Squall on the back.

Squall gave Zell a deadly look and eyed the counter housing the liquor. "Bring anything decent?"

"Yup! Got your favorite Boss-man!" Zell said proudly tossing Squall a large bottle "Kahlua just fo' you!"

"Thanks." Squall muttered, already twisting the cap.

* * *

-Ding Ding!-

"Coming."

-Ding Ding Ding!-

"Coming!"

-DingDingDingDingDingDingDing!-

"I said I'm coming dammit!" Seifer finished pulling a shirt over his head just as he got to his door. "What!" he yelled irritably as the door slid open.

Quistis leaned idly on the doorframe, one hand over her mouth as she chuckled. "One could die waiting for you." She sighed theatrically "I've been waiting for so long. I thought you'd forgotten me." She sniffed and wiped away an imaginary tear. "But I never gave up hope."

Seifer shook his head and grinned "Get in here before I change my mind, drama-queen." He stepped aside to allow her in. "You'll have to wait a moment," The door slid shut and he walked to the bathroom to fix his hair. "seeing as how I obviously wasn't ready when you announced your presence." Seifer eyed himself in the mirror a moment before dipping his hand into the hair gel and began to search for the perfect 'look', his face a mask of concentration.

Quistis watched silently, smiling to herself. /Who else do I know that spends that much attention on his hair?/ She stuck her head into the bathroom and looked at him through the mirror. "It's so hard trying to find just the right style isn't it?"

"Yeah, stupid hair won't behave."

"Oh I know, it's especially hard when you need the perfect look."

"Yeah, like it's doing it on purpose or something."

"Yep, perfect look...for that perfect someone."

"Yeah...wait...Quistis!" Seifer elbowed her out of the bathroom. "I can't believe I just let you manipulate me like that."

"But it's so easy!" Quistis replied with a smug look on her face. "Especially when it's about him."

"Shut up." Seifer washed his hands and clicked the light off.

"Aren't we going all out tonight?" Quistis commented, looking him over. Seifer wore a pair of loose black pants, that accented all the important parts of the male anatomy, and a deep blue shirt that fit snugly to his toned muscles. It was a simple outfit, but Seifer seemed to make those simple clothes into so much more.

"I could say the same about you, letting your goth show?" Quistis had chosen to don all black for this affair. Her black pants were tight fitting but flared at the bottom and were connected by crisscrossing bondage strips in the back. Her top consisted of a black midriff under sheer black mesh, her arms were also held by bondage. Her hair was essentially the same except she had dyed her tips black. Her ensemble was completed with a spike collar, the light scent of lavender, and black polished nails, each with a tip of red, the only non-black color on her.

Quistis smiled devilishly. "I guess you could say that. I've come to like dressing like this lately."

"Lately, huh?" Seifer eyed her spikes "Be careful, people might start thinking you want some space with those things on."

"What's wrong with space?" she asked fingering the sharp points.

"Nothing, just don't ask for too much space. There are people who care for you, you know." Seifer's knowing eyes seemed to burn into her own. /More people than you know, Quisty./

"I know." She replied quietly, looking away.

Seifer watched as she fidgeted uncomfortably. /She's so lonely, it's so obvious. Maybe this party will change that. Time to come to the rescue Fujin, you're almost late./ "Come on." He said aloud "Let's get goin'."

"About time!" Quistis' head snapped up "We gotta get you a man!"

"We gotta what?!"

"You heard me!" Quistis grabbed Seifer's hand and dragged him out of his own room.

* * *

Off at the other end of the Garden, Fujin stood stone still before her own door. She was all set and ready to go. She had decided to show her goth side as well tonight. She wore spiked combat boots, tight black pants and a flared long sleeved shirt with a drawstring V-neck. She hesitated to step from her room for if she left, it meant her life would be completely different when she returned. If she stayed, it meant nothing would change and she was sure to be alone for the rest of her life. Now would be the only time she had the will to tell Quistis how she felt. /Damn Seifer./ She thought. /Why'd he tell me to come? It's not like I have to go./ She argued with herself. /I mean I wouldn't be considering it if there weren't part of me that wants to be there. I should go, I should tell her./ Fujin looked over to her tiny desk and gazed at the scattered drawings which decorated it. Each were of Quistis' beautiful face and each one she had drawn in painstaking detail. Reflexively she reached out and touched one on the check, for a moment she imagined that it were truly Quistis she touched. That thought alone solidified her wish to tell Quistis her feelings. She smiled and stepped purposely out of her room and toward Squall's room.

As each step passed, Fujin grew less and less resolute. By the time she reached Squall's dorm, her hand was shaking as she reached for the button that opened the door. Forcing all her energy, she leaned her digit forward, punching the button roughly, allowing the door to slide open.

"Fujin! Get your ass in here, the party s'about to begin!" Seifer shouted, waving her in. Fujin swallowed hard and replaced her mask of stoicism, entering the room as if nothing perked her interests.

Well, she tried, at least.

"Hello, Fujin."

Fujin jerked her head a bit to the side, hiding the blush that rebelled its way upon her face. "HI." She squeaked more than stated. Her face grew even hotter as she realized her voice was being particularly rebellious as well.

Seifer took that as his cue to take Fujin's hand and drag her to a seat, saying, "C'mon, Fu, we're deciding what game to play..." He took his seat on the bed, Fujin sitting on the floor to the right of Seifer, leaning on the edge of the bed. Squall had moved to the left of Seifer, lounging on the ground. Next to him sat the ever-bouncy ball of energy also known as Selphie and her cowboy toy, Irvine, his hat tipped as if he were asleep. All of them knew better. Next to Irvine sat Zell, who happily munched on chips, every so often chugging a beer down. Xu had also come, placing herself next to Quistis, who also happened to be sitting dangerously close to Fujin. She could feel her heart hammering her ribs so hard, she prayed to Hyne no one could hear.

"So...what are we playing?" Quistis asked, smiling.

Silence.

Somewhere a cricket chirped.

"Aw, c'mon, guys, I know one of you can come up with something..."

"How bout...poker?" Xu suggested.

Irvine flicked his hat. "Strip poker."

"PERVERT." Fujin immediately commented. Irvine chuckled quietly.

"Um...TRUTH OR DARE!!" Selphie squealed. They all cast her a look. She looked back at all of them, smiling sweetly. "It'd be fun."

They all began to look around at each other, searching for an idea until Seifer said, "Aw hell, why not? How long has it been since anyone of us has played Truth or Dare?" Again, the group took a moment to remember the last time they played the old-school game. Fujin shot a small look at Seifer, who winked at her, mischief twinkling in his jade eyes. Her lips twitched in a smile that never came, but Seifer took the signal.

"SURE." Fujin agreed.

"I'm in." Zell added.

Irvine tipped his hat in accord.

"Okay." Quistis said, stretching. Xu nodded the same. All that was left was Squall.

Squall looked around, knowing they were going to play no matter what he said. "Whatever."

"WOO-HOO!!"

"Selphie! Girl, calm down..." Quistis said, laughing.

"So...who first?" Zell asked, popping open another beer.

"It was Selphie's idea, she should go." Seifer stated matter-of-factly. Selphie shrugged then narrowed her eyes dangerously, scouring her circle of friends. "ZELL! TRUTH OR DARE!!"

Zell coughed, choking on his beer as he blinked at Selphie. "Um...dare."

"I dare you to..." she paused, thinking, "...kiss Irvine...with tongue. I wanna see it."

"WHAT!? YOU LITTLE HENTAI!" Zell complained. Selphie smiled innocently.

"Come on Zell, you gotta do it." Xu chided, poking Zell hard in the ribs.

Zell groaned as he turned to Irvine, who was sitting up. "If you enjoy this..."

"Calm down, Zell. If you don't like it, I'm sorry, but I'm not known to be a bad kisser. If it really bothers you so much, close your eyes and imagine that library chick you're dating."

Zell gulped as he closed his eyes, obeying. Irvine cupped Zell's check, moving closer. Zell shuttered as he felt Irvine's hot breath on his lips. Before he could offer any protest, the gap was closed, Irvine's lips gently brushing against his. He pushed his tongue forward, urging Zell, who hesitantly opened his mouth, allowing access. Irvine shot his tongue in, coaxing Zell to do the same. Slowly, Zell relaxed, rolling his tongue over Irvine's, sliding back and forth, caressing the walls of his mouth.

The group watched on, mouths agape as Irvine and Zell put on their display. When they finished, Zell gasped for air, staring wide-eyed at Irvine.

"Well?" Irvine asked, grinning.

"My girlfriend doesn't kiss like that..."

The room was silent for a moment then the group burst out laughing as Zell was left with a crimson stain across his cheeks.

Irvine gave him a meaningful look as the laughter died down. "Your turn hot- lips."

"Errm...uh...okay." Zell stammered. "Um...Xu, truth or dare?"

"Uh...truth."

"K' cool..." he thought for a moment. "If you had the chance to screw anyone in the room who would it be and why?"

Everyone in the room eyed each other and kept quiet, it was no secret that Xu was interested in Quistis, interested enough to have asked her out a few weeks ago. While the blonde has politely refused it was clear, much to Fujin's disappointment, that she had not been completely adverse to the idea. After all that it should have been clear to Zell who Xu would screw...but then again...it was Zell after all.

Xu smiled and replied without hesitation. "Well, I'd screw Quistis, because she's my kinda person..."

Seifer looked over and saw Fujin's hand ball into a fist. "Uh...woohoo! That's hot! Truth or Dare someone Xu."

Everyone but Xu gave him a strange look but decided it was just the booze and ignored him. "Yeah, okay ummm." Xu looked about the room ignoring Selphie who was practically jumping up and down as she strained to be picked next. "Irvine...truth or dare?"

"Hmmm...toughie." Irvine took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll play it safe for now...truth."

"Awwww!" Selphie whined "Two truths in a row! Wimp!"

"Chill out Selphie!" the group chorused.

"Anyway!" Xu began " Irvine...exactly how many partners...ahem...female and male have you been with?"

"Ya mean fucked?" Irvine asked, taking a long drag from his bottle.

"Err, yeah if you want."

"Err well, lessee." Irvine looked thoughtful and began to count on his fingers. A few moments passed and then he looked up. "Separately or all together?"

"Separate."

"M'kay..." a few more moments passed.

"It's taking you too long IRVINE." Selphie said irritably.

"Oh sorry...um...carry the 5 and..."

"While we're young cowboy." Quistis commented.

"Okay okay...about 25 chicas and 17 chicos, 42 altogether!"

"Wow...um...that's a lot."

"DUDE!" Zell shouted. "How'd ya do it Irv'?"

"Hehehe, lotsa different ways." Irvine gave a lewd grin and leaned back abit.

"DID NOT HEAR THAT." Fujin sighed and shook her head.

"Yeah, that's a little too much info, Irvine." Squall commented. "Just take your damned turn."

Irvine grinned to himself and straightened his hat. "Alrighty then..." he draped an arm over Selphie's shoulders. "Truth or dare sweetie?"

"DARE! DAREDAREDARE!" Selphie squealed.

"Hehehe, okay then, dare it is." He cracked his knuckles. "Now so far we've only had some guy on guy action...I consider myself a gentleman and have decided to give the girls a turn."

"Oh just dare me already!" Selphie sighed

"Okay okay, keep your shirt on. Unless of course you really want to take it off...in which case I'm sure none of us will complain."

"Irvine..."

"Yeah, Selphie I dare you to lock lips with good ol' Quisty!"

"Whhhaaa?!" Selphie, Quistis, Fujin exclaimed. Fujin blushed and slapped a hand over her mouth.

"I ain't done yet...you gotta lock 'em for a full two minutes! No fair staying stationary either." Irvine rubbed his hands together. "I wanna see some movement."

"Irvine! You perv!" Quistis got up and proceeded to beat Irvine over the head with his own hat.

/Oh shit.../ Seifer thought. /Fujin's gonna kill one of them./ He glanced over at Fujin for the second time and was surprised to see that she did not look upset. In fact she showed no emotion at all, which was what she was best at, but damn if anyone in this room apart from himself tried to kiss the man seated to his immediate left he'd probably knock them flat.

"Oh come on Irv! I'm not doing that!" Selphie complained.

"Why not? You were practically orgasaming over being picked and took the risk of choosing dare. You gotta do it now, or suffer the consequences!"

"M'yeah...Conserquenies!" Zell said having downed a few too many beers all at once. "Les git to da kissies!" Zell puckered his lips and made wet kiss noises at everyone.

"Shut up Zell!" Selphie spat as she inched closer to Quistis. "Okay Quisty...let's just do this."

"Okay...I can't believe this." Quistis put a hand to her head and rubbed her eyes. "Alright let's go."

"Just don't poke me with those spikes okay?"

"Yeah enough on the spikes."

"Enough talk!" Irvine interrupted "I'm timing you two. When I say go, you go at it" he held up his watch as Quistis and Selphie eyed each other. "Alright! Get it on!"

Each girl closed her eyes and leaned forward their lips grazing ever so softly, at first anyway. Selphie was the first to relax into the kiss gently bringing her hand up to Quistis' jaw and continuing on to the nape of her neck. Quistis' mouth opened invitingly allowing Selphie to close the small gap between their lips.

"AWWWW YEAH!" Zell yelled spilling some of his beer in his excitement.

"Watch the carpet!" Squall yelled brandishing the Kahlua.

Fujin ignored Zell's outburst as she watched Quistis and Selphie kiss. How she desperately wished it was her that Quistis was kissing. How she wished to take Selphie's place. Every inch of her being strained to fight back the urge to push Selphie away from the woman she loved. Her head slumped forward and a small quivering sigh, lost in the conversation in the room, escaped her lips. How could they ever be together when everyone else thought otherwise?

"Okay...almost done." Irvine said checking his watch.

"I can't believe we're sitting here watching this..." Xu remarked disgustedly.

"Wha's wrong Xu?" Zell asked "Ya jealooos cuz Selph' gotta swap spit wit Quisty firs?"

"Shaddap Zell!"

"Both of you shut up." Irvine interrupted. "Okay that's it guys."

The two women jumped apart at that and looked away, embarrassed at what they'd just done.

"Sah how wuz it?" Zell slurred trying his drunken best to 'watch the carpet,' namely planting the left side of his face squarely onto the floor.

"Zell, what're you doing?" Selphie asked wiping her mouth.

"Wachin' da carp...crap...carpa...pet."

"Carpet?"

"Yeah! At'sa one! Carpet!"

"MEANT DON'T SPILL! DOLT!" Fujin commented.

"Well 'scuse me Miss Monotone! You dun know me!"

"SLOB."

"Ghost!"

"PIG."

"Enough of that! I wanna take my turn!" Selphie yelled over the bickering pair. The group silenced themselves as Selphie sat back, eyeing the rest of them. She grinned suddenly then turned to Quistis, whispering something in her ear. Quistis lips turned to an almost feral grin as she nodded. Before anyone could offer question, Selphie abruptly pointed at Squall and screamed, "TRUTH OR DARE!!"

"Truth." Squall replied, unnerved.

"I knew it." Selphie smirked. "Squall, where do you go every Wednesday and Saturday night and what do you do there, specifically?"

Selphie had nailed Squall so hard you could visibly see the blood fall from his face. He swallowed, his blue gray eyes staring at Selphie as if to ask, "How did you know...?"

"Well?" Selphie prodded. Seifer looked down at the brunette near his knees, interested in his answer. Now that he put some thought to it, Squall always left work early on Wednesdays and Saturdays and he always came back extremely late that night, sleeping in late the next morning. He never understood why and personally never cared, but now with the opportunity to find out one of Squall's supposed 'secrets'...

"C'mon, Leonhart, spill." Seifer nudged him with his knee. Squall turned a threatening glare upon the blonde before turning back to the rest of the group.

"I go to a club called Reflection."

"Uh-huh." Selphie stared at him, waiting. "And what do you do there?"

There was a pause. "I dance."

"What kind of dance?"

"I've already answered your truth."

"You apparently missed the part of me saying specific."

"And you apparently already know the answer, why push it?"

"Because, I believe this is the most you've talked all night, even with the booze. Now, what kind of dance, Squall?"

Again, another long pause. Zell was about to pass out, his head was lolling to the side, a beer can being held haphazardly in his hand. Irvine had his hat tipped again, but Squall could see his violet eyes from underneath the shadow of his hat, watching him, waiting for an answer. Quistis was looking at him with slight interest; Squall assumed she must've known as well. Fujin and Xu watched on, no, they didn't know, not yet anyways. And Squall didn't need to look at Seifer; he could feel his jade green eyes upon him, waiting.

"Fine. I strip there. I'm one of their dancers. Happy?"

"Quite." Selphie beamed, sitting back. The rest of the group just stared except for Zell, who was goggling his beer and Irvine, who was chuckling.

"What's so funny, cowboy?" Seifer asked.

"I thought I recognized you but I wasn't sure. Damn, you're built..."

Squall loosed a deep glare, causing Irvine to hold his hands up to defense. Seifer, on the other hand, let out a soft growl, unnoticed to all but Quistis who was watching him. She smiled. /Aw, he's jealous.../

"Quistis." Squall interrupted her thought, his tone icy. Quistis regarded him.

"Truth or Dare."

"...dare."

Squall stood up and walked over to the bar where the drinks were sitting. Rustling through a paper bag for a few seconds, he pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniel's. He brushed by Quistis, dropping the bottle in her lap before taking his seat. Quistis looked at the bottle, then back to Squall.

"Chug it."

Quistis looked at him, then the bottle. "Squall, I can't..."

Squall turned his death glare on Quistis. "Yes. You can. Chug it."

Quistis opened her mouth to argue again, but fell silent, staring at the bottle. She popped the cork, took one last look at the group, then placed the bottle to her lips.

Squall sat down again when Seifer nudged with his knee. He looked up. "What?"

"You're wasting her."

He looked back at Quistis then back to Seifer, mischief only Seifer could read in his moonstone eyes. "Yes, I know."

A few moments later, the bottle was slammed to the floor, only a few drops left in the once full bottle of liquor. Quistis swayed a bit, blinking her eyes slowly before regaining her composure. Her speech slow and almost slurred, she said, "Squall...truth...er...or...dare, yeah, dare..."

She shook her head rapidly before locking her eyes on Squall.

"What is this, twice in a row?"

"Squall, you heard the girl, don't ask her to repeat it." Irvine said.

"Whatever. Dare."

Selphie squeaked in delight and Quistis grinned. Squall suddenly heard his logic in the back of his mind, screaming, "Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit..."

"Okay Squall. You said you danced at Reflection, right?" Quistis asked. Apparently getting Squall to do what she wanted had sobered her.

"Yeah."

"Then...I dare you to give a lap dance..."

Squall's eyes widened. He knew what was coming.

"...to Seifer." She finished, a triumphant smile on her lips.

For the first time most of them could remember, a crimson flush flooded Squall's porcelain cheeks. Seifer swallowed, gaping at Quistis.

"Quisty, you're kiddin'..." Seifer stammered.

"No. I'm not. C'mon Squall, do we need to pay you?"

"Shut up." The flush was gone, replaced by his normal stoic look. He turned to Seifer. "Get in the arm chair in the living space." He said quietly. The group watched him get up and begin to walk away, then in sync they all stood to follow...except for Zell, who was drunk off his ass.

When he noticed everyone had left him, he looked around, saying, "Duh, hey!! Wait fo' me!!"

He stumbled to his feet and somehow managed to take a seat on the couch next to Selphie and Irvine. Seifer had sat in the armchair, shifting uncomfortably, while Quistis, Fujin, and Xu had taken a seat on the floor. Squall was standing to one side of the armchair, his arms crossed and looking about impatiently.

"What's up, Squall?"

Squall looked at Quistis, frowning slightly. "There's too much light and I need music..." he muttered.

"Oh..." she replied, grinning. "Irvine, turn off all the lights except the corner lamp and I'll be right back with a cd..."

Before Quistis could retreat back to her room, Squall roughly grabbed her by the arm and whispered, "I don't know if I should kill you or kiss you."

Quistis smiled before leaving the room.

* * *

Quistis had come back, a jewel case in her hand. All the lights were completely out except for the corner lamp, casting a soft glow on the rest of the group in the room. Squall had set up his stereo in another corner of the room. As she made her way across the room a strange thought popped into her mind. /Selphie brought those mints and no one has had one yet./ Smiling she grabbed one, untwisted the wrapper and popped it into her mouth. /Not bad/ she thought, /it's got a slight vanilla flavor...mmmm./ She approached him, handing him the jewel case. Squall eyed her, and asked, "What is it?"

"Will Nine Inch Nails do?" she asked.

He nodded and the corner of his mouth twitched, what Quistis knew to be the closest thing she was going to see to a smile. Quistis retreated to her seat next to Xu as Squall slid the CD in. He searched through the tracks until it landed on 'Closer.' The music pounded in his ears as he allowed the beat to control him, his mind and his body. He made his way to the center of the room, standing in front of where Seifer was sitting.

You let me violate you  
You let me desecrate you  
You let me penetrate you  
You let me complicate you

Squall's body moved slowly at first, making a seductive gait to Seifer's chair. Seifer watched on, seeing the pale light reflect off Squall's leather pants, each curvature of his lithe form very evident as the brunette drew closer.

Help me, I broke apart my insides  
Help me, I've got no soul to sell  
Help me, the only thing that works for me  
Help me get away from myself

Slowly, Squall placed himself on the armchair, sitting on his knees and straddling Seifer's lap. He rested his hand on Seifer's cheek, leisurely drawing it down past his neck and against his chest. He heard Seifer shudder under his touch and he smiled. Leaning in close, he whispered into his ear, his breath sending chills down Seifer's spine.

"Do ya like that?"

Seifer immediately felt the bulge in his pants grow painfully tight.

I want to fuck you like an animal  
I want to feel you from the inside  
I want to fuck you like an animal  
My whole existence is flawed  
You bring me closer to God

Grinning still, Squall began to move his hips, slow and deliberate, thrusting forward then slowly rising up against Seifer's taut stomach. He continued to grind into Seifer's hips, satisfied in hearing Seifer's breath grow short and ragged. Locking gazes with the man he was dancing for, Squall was delighted to see the lust glowing in the jade orbs he'd fallen in love with.

"Squall..." Seifer breathed, too quiet for anyone but Squall to hear.

You can have my isolation  
You can have the hate it brings  
You can have my absence of faith  
You can have my everything

"What?" Squall hissed into Seifer's ear, grinding his hips harder into Seifer's. Whatever response Seifer was going to give was lost in a choked gasp.

"You want more?" Squall asked, heatedly breathing into his ear. He wanted to feel Seifer shiver under his touch.

"...I..." Seifer, for once in his life, was at a loss for words. Another smile touched Squall's lips.

Help me, you tear down my reason  
Help me, it's your sex I can smell  
Help me, you make me perfect  
Help me become somebody else

Squall rose on his heels, grinding his hips right in front of Seifer's face. The blonde felt the sudden need for a very cold shower after Squall lazily brought himself to eye level, rubbing his entire body against Seifer's, earning as much contact as he could gain.

I want to fuck you like an animal  
I want to feel you from the inside  
I want to fuck you like an animal  
My whole existence is flawed  
You bring me closer to God

Hearing the song slow down, Squall entered into his final phase for his dance. He leaned forward, placing his face against the crook of Seifer's neck, breathing heavily as he felt Seifer shutter. Smiling to himself, he began to grind his hips into Seifer's own, bringing complete contact between the two.

Seifer gasped; he could easily feel Squall's manhood grinding against his own through the too-thin material of Squall's leather pants.

"Damn it, Squall..." Seifer whispered, trying to remain calm.

"Seifer, you want me, don't you?" Squall hissed in his ear.

Seifer made no move, no sound, except for his laden breathing. Silently, Squall berated himself. /Of course not...wishful thinking.../

Through every forest, above the trees  
Within my stomach, scraped off my knees  
I drink the honey inside your hive  
You are the reason I stay alive

The song ended and Squall ended his dance stroking Seifer's cheek one last time. He backed off the arm chair and turned around. The entire group was gaping and Squall realized he had completely forgotten about his audience.

"What?" he asked.

"That was fucking HOT!!" Selphie squealed. Everyone else nodded and ended up giving Squall a round of applause. Squall scratched the back of his head, blushing.

Seifer, on the other hand, sat plastered to his seat, beads of sweat rolling down his face. He quickly wiped himself dry before the lights came on. Quistis came over and held out a hand, helping Seifer up.

"Well, how was it?"

"It-" he immediately stopped, clearing his throat. His pitch had gone slightly high. "It was..."

"Hush. I think I get it." She chuckled, leading him back to Squall's bedroom were the rest of them had gathered again.

"Alright, Squall, it's your turn." Xu said as all of them sat back in their original spots...except Squall had moved slightly away from Seifer.

"Is it? Alright then, Seifer."

Seifer blinked at him.

"Truth or Dare."

"Truth."

"PANSY."

"Fujin..." Quistis slapped her lightly on her arm, laughing. A scarlet hue crossed her face as she turned away.

"Alright, Seifer. Tell me, did you enjoy the dance I just gave you?"

Seifer swallowed the lump that had somehow placed itself in his throat. "I...uh..."

"Well?" Squall prodded.

Seifer looked at him and noticed his eyes had turned to a dark shade of gray. He was unhappy. /But...why?/

"I did." Seifer said, eyeing Squall's reaction and ignoring all the gasps and the stray cat whistle from the group. His eyes moved from a dark gray to a light blue. A hopeful look.

Seifer wanted to smile, but held it in check as he turned his eyes upon Fujin. She blinked and swallowed hard, the look in his eyes made her extremely nervous.

"Fujin." Seifer said simply.

"SEIFER."

"Truth or Dare?" He gave her a meaningful look.

Fujin was silent a moment, her eyes flicked briefly to Quistis who watched her intently. "DARE." /Dammit./

"Alright then." Seifer gave a devilish grin. " Do you remember that little trick you used to do awhile ago?" Fujin gave Seifer a puzzled look. "Oh come on, you remember. It involved candy wrappers." Fujin's eyes grew big and she shook her head frantically. "Yep you remember." Seifer brought a hand to his chin and looked thoughtful. "Your dare is to share that little trick...with." Seifer paused for dramatic effect, although Fujin already knew what he was going to say. "Quistis."

The reactions from the group were rather varied. Irvine looked extremely interested and pushed the brim of his hat up. Selphie pushed Irvine, but seemed to be glad it wasn't her who had to do whatever with Fujin. Xu looked irritated that she would now be the only girl who hadn't done something semi-naughty with Quistis. Zell was babbling incoherently about anything that came to mind, and Squall just quirked a small smile in Quistis' direction. However, Fujin was only concerned with Quistis' reaction. She looked over at Quistis, who gazed back with an unreadable expression. Briefly something flickered within those icy azure eyes but it was lost before Fujin could interpret it.

"Okay then." Seifer grabbed one mint from the bag on the counter and tossed it to Fujin, who caught it one handed. "Have at it Fu."

Fujin shot him a smoldering glare. She examined the mint for a moment then scooted closer to Quistis. /Now's my chance to show her what I've got/ Fujin thought.

"Watch closely." Fujin said quietly, deep in her throat. Quistis nodded slowly. Fujin locked eyes with Quistis and for a moment no one moved. She grasped the one wrapped end and slowly brought mint to her mouth. She sucked on the end a bit before sliding the whole thing into her mouth. Fujin leaned in closer to Quistis and began to suck on the mint wrapping. Her tongue worked about the mint in her mouth, pulling at the wrapping. Fujin smiled lewdly and pushed a bit of the wrapping from her mouth. She took her time pulling the rest out and tossed it aside. Quistis blushed as she realized what Fujin had done, and that 'trick' wasn't over yet. Before Quistis could really react Fujin grasped her chin and pulled their lips together. Fujin's tongue forced its way past her startled lips, bringing with it the partially dissolved mint. This was a kiss Quistis relaxed into more, using her own tongue to help Fujin dissolve the mint in her mouth. /She's kissing me back, she's kissing me back!/ Fujin faltered a moment at the thought, then, pushed her stupid mind out of the way, let her body control her actions.

Deciding that Quistis wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, Fujin released her chin and settled both hands on her hips. /My neck hurts/. Quistis thought. So, to solve the problem she scooted forward until she straddled Fujin's lap. Fujin's hands traveled the length of Quistis' back, holding her close, bringing her closer. /Arms...in the way.../Quistis thought and rested them upon Fujin's shoulders, encircling her neck and losing her hands in that silvery shock of hair.

The mint, needless to say, was long gone. Not much could survive such a heated battle. Quistis tongue rolled across the top of Fujin's mouth, reversing the attack. Fujin, gasped unprepared for the reversal, but recovered quickly. Just as Quistis began to withdraw from her mouth, Fujin pushed forward drawing her back into the unbroken kiss, just a kiss, just a simple kiss. /More, I wanna give her more./ Fujin thought about casually slipping her hands under Quisty's shirt. Her hands strayed to Quisty's hem, toying with it teasingly. Quistis arched her back invitingly at Fujin's offer. /No/ Fujin thought grinning inwardly, /...keep her wanting more./ Reluctantly she began to pull back, sucking lightly on the other woman's lower lip as she retreated.

"Whoa..." Quistis breathed as she regained control of her mouth.

"Well?" Fujin rasped once again cursing her faulty vocal cords.

"Schweet." Quistis replied, her voice cracking slightly.

A smile lit Fujin's face briefly but disappeared as she suddenly became extremely self-conscious. She pushed herself away from Quistis and into a corner without looking at anyone else.

"Well." Irvine said into the silence. "That was...more than it could have been."

"Shut up Irvine." Xu snapped.

At that moment, Selphie took her time to let out a rather large yawn. Stretching and blinking wearily, she smiled at everyone as she stood up. "Well, that was fun."

Squall looked at her. "Don't tell me you're tired...? This was your idea to begin with and it's only..." he glanced at his watch, gasping slightly. "Three in the morning!?"

"Wow, time flies." Xu said, stretching. "Tell me if you do this again. I'll be sure to schedule something else." She said tersely as she glared at Fujin who matched the leer with equal vehemence before making her way out.

Fujin stood up and after sharing a look with Quistis and Seifer, made her way out of the room. Irvine and Selphie followed suit, dragging a drunk-off- his-ass Zell so that all that was left was Squall, Seifer, and Quistis. Seifer walked over to the counter, popping a few of the nuts into his mouth.

"Three in the morning, and you're hungry?" Quistis asked, poking Seifer in the stomach. Squall made his way to them, leaning on the counter.

"Why not?" Seifer asked, handing her some. "C'mon, they're good."

Quistis sighed, eating them reluctantly at first then grabbing another handful to eat. "...you're right, they are good." She smiled, munching on the nuts. Her eyes traveled over to the bag of mints. Still smiling, she unwrapped one of the mints and popped it in her mouth.

"But if you ask me, I like the taste of these mints better." She said, sucking on the vanilla mint.

"You would." Squall said, grinning.

"Leonhart, you want some nuts?" Seifer asked, holding one up on the tip of his fore finger. Squall looked at the solitary nut then grasped Seifer's outstretched hand, securing it. With a devilish look in his eyes, he leaned forward, encasing both the nut and Seifer's finger in his mouth. Slowly pulling back, he graced his tongue on the tip of Seifer's finger before retreating completely. Seifer swallowed hard as Quistis watched a red flush creep up on Seifer's cheeks. After chewing up the nut, Squall looked up, licking his lips.

"I bet they taste better if you eat two of them..."

Seifer just stared at him. Quistis took that as a cue to leave, taking Seifer's hand and waving Squall goodbye. When the door to Squall's dorm shut behind them, Seifer heaved a breath he'd been holding.

"What the fuck was that?" Seifer whispered hoarsely.

"I think his second job was taking over there."

"Second job? Oh, that club... how'd you know about that?"

"Selphie and I were curious one night, so we followed him out. Seems like dancing isn't all he does."

"What?" Seifer looked at her as the made their way to their separate dorms. "What else does he do?"

"More like who else." They stopped in front of Quistis' dorm. "I'm a little worried about him. But, hey, on the bright side, I think he likes you. See you later."

Before she could hit the button to her dorm, Seifer had stepped in front of her. "Quisty, you're not telling me he's...?"

"I don't know for sure, Seifer. It's just a rumor around that club."

Seifer clenched his fists at the thought of someone else touching his Squall. "Well...what about you and a certain silver-haired woman?"

Quistis noticeably blushed. "I...uh...well..."

"Heh, I think you've got yourself a crush."

"Crushes are rather childish."

"An infatuation then...?"

"Seifer..."

"I'll see you tomorrow, my dear Instructor..." He gave her a short wave as he moved on to his own room and bed.

"See ya Seif'." Quistis smiled in return and faced her door. She tapped the button and waited a brief moment as the door slid open. Quistis owned a small apartment usually decorated in deep earth-tones. However, it had been transformed recently into a much darker version of its old self. The room seemed sparse and empty. She had lamps but never turned them on, and the sun could not get past her black velvet curtains. Deep red satin sheets lined her bed, decorative pillows piled on the floor from her kicking them off at night. She sighed as she walked in, the smile melting from her face. Tonight had been, well...interesting. Enjoyable, yes, but a lot of confusing emotions and questions had surfaced at that party. Quistis jumped and landed upright on her bed, kicking off her boots. First confusing thing. Quistis thought as she unhooked the bondage from the various parts of her body. /Why did I kiss her back? I mean yeah, I don't mind lesbians, and I wouldn't have minded going out with Xu...but.../ Quistis pulled out her hair tie and shook her hair a bit. /Well, it's Fujin...I mean I didn't know she was like that./ She pulled her shirt over her head and threw it into a corner, then reached back to un-snap her bra. Her heartbeat quickened in memory of how close Fujin's fingers had come to her bra, how it had felt to have the woman touch her skin. /Stop that!/

She pulled on an over-sized t-shirt and lay back on her bed. /There are lots of other people in the world to have those thoughts about. Fujin is not one of them. She is the least romantic person I know, nothing about her sparks my interest./ She pulled her pants off and they joined her shirt in the corner. She tingled and remembered that she'd been sitting in Fujin's lap that night, she'd practically straddled the woman. /Yeah, I can say that but my body doesn't lie./ She sat upright, grabbed her comb and faced the mirror hung next to her bed. /It's been a while since I've felt like this about anyone. Since the beginning of the Neo Sorceress Wars I guess./

She frowned and began to gently comb through her hair. /Let's not go into that Quisty. That's an old issue that's been talked to death./ Quistis closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the comb running through her hair. Images of Fujin's face flashed in her mind's eye. They all seemed to go backwards, most to least recent. Tonight, her face flushed and inches from Quistis' lips. Her defeat at Balamb, she seemed so rebellious, sad at her lost Pandemonia. A thought interrupted the multitude of images. /We never gave Pandemonia back to her.I'll have to return it when I get the chance./ The last image came with difficulty, an old memory from the orphanage. The first time she'd seen Fujin the other girl had blushed and shyly hid her face. /She had both eyes then./ She could see them both staring at her, the young innocent silver haired girl. Quistis had always been unable to meet that intense crimson gaze for too long. She could always meet Squall's eyes, even at their most deadly, but never Fujin's. It had unnerved her as a child to be unable to meet the girl's eyes, so she'd avoided Fujin. Now, things were no better, in fact the loss of one eye seemed to double the other's intensity. /So what does all this tell me?/ Quistis set her comb down and rubbed her tired eyes. /That I might have deeper feelings for her, it's obvious she has feelings for me./ She clicked out her lamp and crawled into bed. Her cold fingertips grazed her lips for a moment. /I hope these are true feelings. I've had enough of being alone. I want someone to love, someone to hold me. I need her to make me feel again, to bring my emotions out./

Quistis drew her mind inward, to her magic. She felt Shiva's welcoming presence in her mind. It seemed to her that the Guardian Force had always had a bit of a crush on her. Perhaps that was why people always said she was an ice queen and why she thought she could not feel, Shiva's icy magical influence leaked into her very being. /I wonder if that's how it is with Fujin and Pandemonia. I've never seen anyone so upset at losing a GF than when we took it from her. No...I took it from her. I'll make it up to her. I'll try to give her what she wants, try to love her. What have I done to deserve love? Especially her's. I cannot deny that I want to be near her as much as I think she wants to be near me, but.../ Quistis' thoughts slowly trailed off as the day caught up with her, she settled herself and pulled the light, yet warm blanket up to her chin. She curled up and drifted off to sleep, thoughts of Fujin floating about in her dreams

* * *

Squall watched Seifer and Quistis leave, his gray eyes locking once with Seifer's before the door came between them. The moment he knew he was alone, he let out a large sigh, putting his head in his hands. "What am I doing?" he muttered to one in particular. What had he done? The thought that he...that Seifer!...could possibly show any feeling for Squall...

He slammed his fist into the counter top, the resounding force leaving his hand pounding. He cradled his hand he walked over to his couch, unceremoniously dropping himself upon it. Lying back, his thoughts began to wander...

/Was it the right thing? Should I have done that? Hyne, he must think I'm a disgusting faggot for ever thinking.../

He stopped himself there.

"Alright, Seifer. Tell me, did you enjoy the dance I just gave you?"

"I did."

/Maybe.../

Anymore musing on the subject was quickly interrupted by a piercing ringing sound. Glaring at the phone he picked it up and answered irritably, "What?"

"Where the fuck are you?"

"Corona? What are you talking about?"

"You stupid whore. You were supposed to be at Hiroka's tonight. Now that you decided to be a no show, he's demanding his money back and still insists on your services...for free!!"

"Corona, calm down..." Squall urged her.

"Fuck that. Get you skinny white ass down here, now!"

Squall paused. "...no."

"Excuse me?"

"Corona, I'm not coming in tonight."

"Like hell you're no-"

Squall hung up the phone. "No, I can't give myself over to these people anymore. There's a chance I can get who I want for once..." Squall muttered to himself. The phone started ringing again, but he ignored it, making his way over to his bed. The moment he hit the mattress he fell fast asleep, thoughts of Seifer comforting him in his repose.


End file.
